Diagnosing and treating systemic candida infection continues to be a major challenge for the clinician and the microbiologist. It is not only critical to identify the type of candida but also to determine its relative amount. This quantitative data provides insight as to the extent of the infection which in turn provides data as to the degree of fungal load present in a patient which in turn must be eliminated by anti-fungal therapy. The contents of all publications and U.S. patents referred to hereinafter are hereby incorporated by reference.